Autumn Souvenir

In the vein of similar favorites The Big Bad Swim and Wendy and Lucy , 2009's Beeswax is certainly an understated drama. There's not a whole lot going on aside from the daily ins-and-outs that we all experience. And this is what makes the first two films, and especially Beeswax , one of my recent favorites. Centered around the lives of twin sisters living in Austin, one a part owner of a vintage clothing shop and the other a part-time teacher, it's the simplicity of the film and the stellar acting that lends heavily to the overall charm. We grow to love the characters, especially Jeannie, the adorable shop owner, whose disability (she's bound to a wheelchair for reasons never explained) seems an absolute afterthought. The interactions between all characters are interesting to witness, especially Jeannie's growing relationship with the quite funny, Merrill. If you're on Netflix, it's a streamer.

Because of Damien Jurado. And Tim Easton. And The Gourds. Seems that issues and arguments around illegal downloading have basically come to a halt over the past few years. Or maybe it's just that I'm not immersed in the business like I used to be. I can only guess that with respect to the acquisition of music, I've taken a strange route. I've never really been opposed to illegal downloading, per se, but outside of a few occasions, I've never really taken part. Oh, I've accepted many mix CDs and perused a P2P network for out-of-print material, but downloading a new release has likely happened less times than I can count on one of my mitts. Perhaps that has something to do with the artists that land atop my last.fm charts. With a few exceptions, I can only imagine that a large portion live tight to the belt. Without the support of their core fans, there's a good chance that their art could disappear. And this isn't a reality that sits well with me. ...

"Arkansas" by Damien Jurado from Secretly Jag on Vimeo .

I was going to write up a comprehensive take on the trip, but really no need. Here are 80 photos from the road.